Morning watch 5-21-11
By Rochester falcon watcher MAK
I checked the cam before I left for my watch and Beauty was still on the eggs. When I arrived on the Broad St. bridge at 5:40am Dan was already there. We spoke about the eggs and Beauty,Unity and Archer. We feel really bad that there may not be any hatches this year due to the stress our resident females have endured. We have all been quietly fearful of this happening for awhile keeping it to ourselves. Because of the double duty on Archers part the natural cycles of our females has no doubt been compromised. Anyway, as bummed out as we are we continue to hope for a hatch and so I will get on with my report now. Here is a pic of Beauty on HSBC from yesterdays watch which I didn’t have much to report on nor the time to write it.
Dan said he saw a falcon fly to the nestbox at 5:35am but didn’t see one fly out. He decided to leave early after over an hour of not seeing any more falcons. Donna had let me know that Archer snuck into the nestbox at 6:35am and so I knew I would be searching for Beauty. After a few trips around the city without successI drove up to High Falls to enjoy the natural beauty that is there.
I will put the link at the end of this report of video I took of the falls that is still uploading. I needed to be getting home so I left there and had every intention of going straight home until I spotted the Beautyful one on the Frontier Communications Tower on my way through the intersection of N.Plymouth and Broad St.. She was up there on the west side railing of the platform looking big as life and gorgeous in the morning sun.
I watched her perch there for a few minutes with a full crop preening and relaxing and then I continued on my way home. 🙂
For more pics go here: http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=492851732213%3A927340641&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharer
To view my video of the High Falls go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcFWaSluQF8
May 21st, 2011 at 12:50 PM
Nice pics. Is Beauty babying her left leg in these pics? I know birds routinely perch on one leg — my own Doc-bird does it. But in all of these pictures you posted, B is not putting any weight on that left leg. I don’t recall ever noticed that in other pics. What do you think?
May 21st, 2011 at 2:55 PM
I noticed but I couldn’t stay around any longer. I had to get home and give my friend Sue her meds. She had sinus surgery yesterday and I’m playing nurse Ratchet! I also noticed her full crop so I guess she is hunting. I will try to check it out on my next watch. 🙂
May 21st, 2011 at 4:02 PM
You are doing double duty. I guess Beauty is doing double duty — doing her own hunting and defending. And of course, we know that Archer is doing “double duty”.
But seriously, maybe that is why B is not spending as much time on the eggs? Maybe she just can hunker down that long? I would imagine that if she has sore leg or foot, that sitting on those eggs is not comfortable.
May 22nd, 2011 at 12:34 PM
@Margaret – I’ve watched many falcon sit like that for 1-2 hours at a time, periodically stretching or bringing the leg up to clean. I don’t think there is anything to worry about.